Submitted by
GM
a Weekend Warrior
from Houston, TX Date Reviewed: August 31, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Woodlands Bike Trails (175 mi,)
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
Nightsun
Strengths:
I have used the Nightsun SpARC HID bike light for about three years. I have found it to be well made, ultra reliable and very bright. I do not ride in the rain. The HID lamp is much brighter than the companion 25 watt halogen lamp included in the dual lamp SpARC. I own 3 Nightsun lights, one of which is 12 years old. All 3 have been very good lights. They are well made, light weight and reliable. The HID model spoiled me. Its the only one I use because of its superior bright white light.
Weaknesses:
No on / off switch for the HID light. Manufacturer says thats to prevent too many on / off cycles, which is fine, but it really is a pain to have to unplug the light to turn it off.
Similar Products Used:
Nightsun Team Issue 30 watt halogen bike light. Not near as bright at the SpARC HID lamp.
Bike Setup:
Specialized Sport (transition bike)
Bottom Line:
I have found the Nightsun SPARC to be an excellent light. I don't see it on their web site at the moment. Maybe they have discontinued selling it, which would be unfortunate.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
charles moore
a Racer
from moreno valley ca usa Date Reviewed: September 7, 2007
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
nightsun website
Strengths:
2 bulbs are better than one. together they make enough light
Weaknesses:
heavy battery..slooooow recharge time. lack of on off switch
Bike Setup:
road bike used mostly for commuting 15 miles up and down hills
Bottom Line:
the light has done ok. but i have treated it like gold. my other systems received harsh treatment and never had a problem. if anyone is still interested in this light. It makes ok light. the hid is still not bright enough for me. I know the newer hid are better ..but im stuck with this one. when i go into dark areas the halogen and hid together make enough light...almost..maybe i am just being unrealistic.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
charles moore
a
from moreno valley calif Date Reviewed: April 8, 2006
Favorite Trail:
bmx'r
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$420.00
Purchased At:
nightsun website
Bottom Line:
used the light over the winter commuting to work. Always very gentle with it. so far no problems. Its daylight more now so i will not be using it as much... happily cuz that light is heavy! Still, unless the newer hid's are better, i'm disappointed with HID light output. I've had two and been disappointed with them, though everyone else seems satisfied
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
charles moore
a Racer
from moreno valley ca usa Date Reviewed: September 9, 2005
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$420.00
Purchased At:
nightsun website
Strengths:
dual beam
Weaknesses:
no on /off switch, inability to choose either hid or halogen
Bottom Line:
commuted on and off with the light, being very careful..no problems, started commuting again in the summer, so i did'nt use the light much, starting to get darker now so we'll see what happens. at the end of the year i'll let everyone know
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
charles moore
a Racer
from moreno valley ca Date Reviewed: November 11, 2004
Favorite Trail:
none.
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$420.00
Purchased At:
nightsun website
Strengths:
quanity of light,2 bulbs better than one
Weaknesses:
no on\off switch, apparent lack of reliabilty, heavy nicad battery with long recharge time. hid slightly less bright than nightrider hid,mounting system takes too long to remove light
so, i sent my sparc back to nightsun, so happens the ballast died when i dropped the battery and the wire disconnected. nightsun gave me a discount because the light was so new, cost? $65 plus shipping,now my light is approaching $500 wow.. is this light worth it? yes the amount of light puts single bulb hid to shame, but it needs a on\off switch, yanking on the wire is getting old
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
charles moore
a Racer
from moreno valley Date Reviewed: October 10, 2004
Favorite Trail:
none....road/bmx'r
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$420.00
Purchased At:
nightsun website
Weaknesses:
apparent lack of toughness and reliability
Bottom Line:
uh oh. i commuted 2 weekls on my repaired light being very gentle with it. I was plugging it in and the battery started to fall . i tried to catch the battery but missed and the power cord disconnected from the light. No problem, my cygolite and nightrider lights have accepted much more punishment than that and never had a problem.. the hid was still starting up so i waited like 5 minutes to replug it and walla!!! no hid. i checked the wires bulb and such...no luck. the 35w spot as always works perfectly. i emailed nightsun and will call them monday..i'll let you know what happens.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
charles moore
a Downhiller
from moreno valley ca usa Date Reviewed: October 1, 2004
Favorite Trail:
none, road rider/bmx'r
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$379.00
Purchased At:
nightsun website
Strengths:
dual beam, more light than single
Weaknesses:
owner of company, maybe, weight,no on/off switch,quick release isnt very quick,35w bulb burns yellow, slow recharge time,inability to choose what beam you use,
First i used the nightrider hid for commuting but it was'nt bright enough, i have fast downhills, dark cayons to go thru and it was'nt enough. I sold that light and bought the Spark.i was dissapointed about it having no on off switch, not a problem?? you just disconnect the power cable when you are done. ....ok, the light uses ni-cads with a sloooowww recharge time.i started on tuesday after receiving it back from nightsun..more on that later..and charged the battery whenever i wasnt riding. my commute is 1hr going 1.25 returning. i used the hid at all times and the 35w high beam for maybe 5 minutes total per day.on thursday that week while returning home the hid turned off...dead battery but the halogen would turn on. i unplugged the battery and since i was still 8 miles from home, i had to deal with dangling cords all the way home, and cancel my ride on Friday cuz maybe the light wouldnt be charged enough....thats the problem with no switch. ok, the warranty issue....i rode the light up and down the street to see if it worked ok..it did. the next morning i plugged the light in to go to work and...nothing..no hid.. the halogen worked so i used it. on the way the hid bulb started rattling in its housing. I called Nightsun to only get info to send it in for repair...The grilling and attitude i got over the phone!!! apparently from the owner. He was very sarchastic and pretty much said i was to blame for the light not working and i was an idiot for continuing to ride with the loose bulb. I wasted alot of time messing with the light and was running late to work, so i had no choice.since it worked before , i was to blame.anyway i could say more and the story is long. Apparently Nightsun owners have received this treatment before..so but at your own risk
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dave
a
from aliso viejo, ca Date Reviewed: September 18, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
none
Weaknesses:
company owner
Bottom Line:
had a battery issue out of the box. after sending it back and being treated like an idiot on the phone by the owner, i then had an issue in getting a warranty replacement. upon calling back the owner (jackazz) was nothing short of rude.
don't buy his junk and avoid his company at all costs.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dave Cushman
a Cross Country Rider
from Tarzana, CA, 91356 Date Reviewed: July 20, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Caballero Canyon Trail (old Reseda Fire Road)
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$350.00
Purchased At:
Custom Bicycles Sales (Tarzana)
Strengths:
Bright!! Additional halogen for a dual high beam setup.
Weaknesses:
Cost?
Similar Products Used:
NightSun Team Issue
Bike Setup:
Giant NRS
Bottom Line:
Great product. What I consider the biggest drawbacks relates to all the arc lights, the lack of instant ON and the need to let the lights cool off before turning back on. The single bulb is more than bright enough for my night rides in the SM mountains. Since you turn the light on/off only once during the ride the lack of a switch isn't a factor. Cars always flash their lights when riding on the street. Overall I've been very pleased with this purchase.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andrew Wanie
a Racer
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: June 24, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Don River
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
used
Strengths:
Great illumination, good quality, easy to mount, easy to charge, long burn time, nice high beam although it's hardly necessary!
Weaknesses:
When the battery drains, the light goes out in a hurry, no fading here, it's either full on or full off. It doesnt have an on/off switch, you have to plug or un plug it, not good for the people at the timing table at the 24hrs of Adrenaline!
Similar Products Used:
Night hawk dual (halogen)
Bike Setup:
Schwinn S20 Carbon, Cane creek AD12, shimano disk up front, Hayes out back.
Bottom Line:
If you are a seroius night rider, there is no other serious choice. This light rocks! You can keep daytime speed on the trails in the middle of the night! Although I don't agree with blasting by people I share the trails with, it's nice to see them get off to the side when I appear! The length of time per charge is reason alone to go the HID route, let alone the intensity of light this thing puts out!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Luke
a Weekend Warrior
from San Bernardino, Ca Date Reviewed: January 21, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Low beam is so bright,I hardly need the hi beam. But when I feel the need for more power,the combo of both is brighter than any single HID light.
Weaknesses:
None really. It's not cheap, but all the HID lights are expensive.
Bottom Line:
This light is the best of the HIDs out there,cause it's the only one that has the extra high beam setting. It's really nice to have the extra power when you are screaming down some fast open trails. This 2 beam set up costs about the same as what the other single beam HIDs do. It's nice to know that if for some reason the HID stops working, I still have the other beam as a back up to get me home.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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